Recent near-infrared data have contributed to the discovery of new (obscured) massive stellar clusters and massive stellar populations in previously known clusters in our Galaxy. These discoveries lead us to view the Milky Way as an active star-forming machine. Aims: The main purpose of this work is to  determine physically the main parameters (distance, size, total mass and age) of Masgomas-1, the first massive cluster discovered by our systematic search programme. Methods: Using near-infrared ( J, H, and K S) photometry we selected 23 OB-type and five red supergiant candidates for multi

Stars are generally spherical, yet their gaseous envelopes oftenappear non-spherical when ejected near the end of their lives. Thisquirk is most notable during the planetary nebula phase when theseenvelopes become ionized. The most popular explanation is that theasymmetry, and in particular the formation of highly collimatedstructures such as the precessing jets observed in a number ofnebulae, is caused by interactions in a binary system. The study ofthe prototypical planetary nebula Fleming 1 with the VLT telescopedemonstrates for the first time that the hypothesis iscorrect. Indeed, it is

We present observational evidence of apparent plasma rotational motions in the feet of a solar prominence. Our study is based on spectroscopic observations taken in the \ion{He}{1}~1083.0~nm multiplet with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter attached to the German Vacuum Tower Telescope. We recorded a time sequence of spectra with 34 s cadence placing the slit of the spectrograph almost parallel to the solar limb and crossing two feet of an intermediate size, quiescent {\it hedgerow} prominence. The data show opposite Doppler shifts, $\pm$~6\kms, at the edges of the prominence feet. We argue

The old, red stars that constitute the bulges of galaxies, and the massive black holes at their centres, are the relics of a period in cosmic history when galaxies formed stars at remarkable rates and active galactic nuclei (AGN) shone brightly as a result of accretion onto black holes. It is widely suspected, but unproved, that the tight correlation between the mass of the black hole and the mass of the stellar bulge results from the AGN quenching the surrounding star formation as it approaches its peak luminosity. X-rays trace emission from AGN unambiguously, whereas powerful star-forming

OCAM 2 cuadriplica la resolución y multiplica por tres la velocidad de instrumentos similares. Con este dispositivo, que se unirá al sistema óptico adaptativo del GTC, el mayor telescopio del mundo podrá vencer las turbulencias de la atmósfera terrestre y obtener imágenes con una nitidez similar a la del telescopio espacial Hubble.

El acto se llevará a cabo hoy martes, 13 de diciembre, a las 18:00 horas en la Sala de Grados de la Facultad de Ciencias Físicas de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)